


Kismesis: the Snake

by eccentricStyle (Megafire)



Series: Kismesis [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-02-18
Updated: 2011-05-20
Packaged: 2017-10-15 18:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/163591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megafire/pseuds/eccentricStyle





	1. The Snake

A young troll made his way out of a rather large castle. Once he was reasonably out of sight he took a nice and calm stroll through the woods in the neighbourhood before heading back to the city. Once he arrived there he wandered around for a while, as nobody paid any attention to him whatsoever. Or at least not anymore than they did to anyone else. He walked into one of the typical dark and deserted alleyways and as his pursuers rounded the corner they could not find him anywhere.  
“Damnit! Not again!”

Egnaro Zotlav grinned as he entered his own little hive. He chuckled and threw the crystal ball, his crystal ball, up in the air. Before he caught it again, it crossed one of the few beams of light entering the hive and broke it, briefly illuminating the troll and his living space. This showed his orange horns, both curled back, twisting across his head. This gave them an almost slithering look, at least, the parts of them that could be seen under his black hair, which helped the effect significantly. While most trolls wore the same shade of black as their hear, Egnaro’s clothing edged a bit more to dark blue. This was mostly because that particular colour blended in better under the Alternian night sky, as his lusus has taught him. It was also to annoy the high-bloods. Most of the things he did were. Also unlike most trolls, he didn’t wear his sign on his chest, because that was stupid, and instead wore it on his shoulder. In grey, for private reasons.

Speaking of his lusus, it wasn’t here at the moment. All this meant was that Egnaro couldn’t see it at the moment. Vigilance was necessary, of course, but it always was, so this did not worry him in the slightest. After all, with a lusus like his, these things happened all the time.

Speaking of high-bloods. He had someone to annoy. Or, more specifically, taunt.

\-- shadowStalker [SS] began trolling conspiracyShift [CS] –

SS: Hello my kiSSmeSSiSS.   
CS: What d0v0 y0v0 want?   
SS: Did you noticce SSomething miSSSSing?   
CS: Y0v0 found it, then?  
CS: G0v0d.   
SS: I figured you might SSay that.  
SS: No SSenSSe making it look like thiSS waSS planned.   
CS: Y0v0 sh0v0ld know, I have about ten of those left.  
CS: Exactly ten, as a matter of fact.   
SS: That iSS interesting.   
CS: D0v0 not pretend this does not bother y0v0.  
CS: I know y0v0 t0v0 well for that.   
SS: Fine.  
SS: You got me.  
SS: Happy now?   
CS: Very.  
CS: I can assume my scouts did not find y0v0?   
SS: YeSS.  
SS: They are SSlipping up.  
SS: They loSSt me in the alley already.   
CS: Incompetents.  
CS: They will be dealt with.   
SS: Don’t be too hard on them.  
SS: They’re doing their beSSt.  
SS: They can’t help it that they’re up againSSt me.   
CS: Your concern is d0v0ly noted.   
SS: You will not be SSeeing me tomorrow.   
CS: I w0v0ld not be so sure of that.

\-- shadowStalker [SS] ceased trolling conspiracyShift [CS] –

Egnaro frowned. The other troll was getting better. Maybe even getting good. Maybe he was too predictable. He would have to switch things up next time.

They played a game, he and his kismesis. A game in which he tried to steal the most valuable objects the other had and his spade crush tried to discover his best kept secrets. There were two of particular interest: the location of Egnaro’s hive and his blood colour. Earlier in the relationship, he had decided to pursue the latter and most of the green bloods send out had come back bruised and beaten while the target didn’t have a scratch on him. Egnaro had been particularly proud of that battle.

At this point, Egnaro had stopped underestimating the resources of his black investment while said investment had wisely decided to pursue the first secret first. The blue-blood knew his colour was low, he just didn’t quite know how low. It would stay that way for quite a while, if the thief had any say in it.

His kismesis was quite often dull and from time to time somewhat slow, but he was observant and had a sharp mind and Egnaro would be damned if he didn’t pose a challenge. Unlike every other high-blood he had chosen to torment. He had gotten quite good at that, moving through their hives and prejudices with a certain grace no low-blood should posses. Because of that, they mostly thought someone else had set Egnaro on them. All but one.

There was a sound, almost unnoticeable even to trained ears, which his were. Without hesitation he pushed his chair back and saw a flash of white pass right in front of him. He fell and immediately used his momentum to roll back on his feet. He stood, trying to watch every corner of his respiteblock. His lusus had arrived.

Egnaro’s lusus was a small snake. Unlike most other lusi, his had not grown large. His had merely grown deadly. It’s venom could kill everything in one bite, save for a musclebeast. That took two. It was small and usually dismissed as something not worth considering. Most creatures only made that mistake once. The only problem it had was the possibility of being trampled by the bigger creatures. Avoiding that took cunning.

Egnaro had learned most of his skills from his lusus. It was either that or die and he very much preferred not to die.

He saw something white shoot at him out of the corner of his eye and instantly grabbed at it. The snake’s hiss slowly grew quieter as Egnaro held it right behind the head. He had won this round. This meant tonight’s challenge had been completed and he could go about his business for the rest of the night. He released it and it slithered away to wherever his nest in this place was.

His respiteblock was fairly empty for a young troll. It hived a recuperacoon, as they all did, but everything else was a trophy or another. Important or challenging thieveries had been completed to obtain them and nobody had ever been able to find any of it back. That was one secret still kept.

A noise coming from his computer indicated that someone was messaging him on Trollian.

\-- seriousFreezerburn [SF] began trolling shadowStalker [SS] –

SF: hhey sss  
SF: aare yyou tthere  
SF: wwhat aare yyou ddoing   
SS: Why hello there.  
SS: My luSSSSuSS waSS trying to kill me.  
SS: Again.   
SF: ddidn’t ttake, tthen   
SS: And again to no avail.  
SS: You almost SSound diSSapointed.   
SF: yyou aalready hhave aa kkismesis   
SS: I reSState my previouSS SStatement.   
SF: yyeah, yyeah  
SF: llisten  
SF: wwhat hhave yyou bbeen uup tto llately  
SF: ii hhaven’t hheard ffrom yyou iin qquite aa wwhile   
SS: Oh, the uSSual.  
SS: piSSSSing off blue bloodSS.  
SS: MoSStly by SStealing SStuff.   
SF: sseriously, yyou nneed tto gget aa mmoirail  
SF: bbefore yyou gget yyourself kkilled   
SS: Are you offering?   
SF: hhell nno  
SF: ii wwant nnothing tto ddo wwith yyour rromantic ppursuits iin aany qquadrant   
SS: What? Why not?   
SF: bbecause tthen ii aactually hhave tto ddeal wwith yyou iinstead oof simply hhaving tthese nnice llitle cconversations   
SS: That hurtSS.  
SS: I’m not that bad.   
SF: yyou’re ppractically ssuicidal  
SF: aand ii wwant nnothing tto ddo wwith iit  
SF: nnot eeven aas aan aauspistice    
SS: We don’t need and auSSpiSSticce.  
SS: Our relationSShip iSS SStable.  
SS: We’re not a threat to each other’SS liveSS.   
SF: tthat’s wwhat wworries mme   
SS: That iSS SSuch an aSShen thing to SSay.   
SF: sshut uup   
SS: And you’d make a pretty good auSSpiSSticce.   
SF: ii ddon’t wwant tto hhear iit  
SF: bbesides, yyour ccaliginous ppartner wwould nnever aaccept aa yyellow   
SS: Maybe he would.  
SS: After he diSScoverSS mine.   
SF: ii ddoubt hhe eever wwill  
SF: ii ddon’t eeven kknow  
SF: iis tthat aa hhint, bby tthe wway   
SS: It might juSSt be.   
SF: aanyway, llet’s sstop ttalking aabout yyour iinsane rromantic eendeavors   
SS: You SStarted it.   
SF: ddon’t ccare   
SS: What do you want to talk about?   
SF: yyou nnever aask wwhat ii’ve bbeen uup tto   
SS: What have you been up to?   
SF: aabsolutely nnothing   
SS: Fuck you.   
SF: bbut tthanks ffor asking   
SS: ThiSS waSS completely pointleSSSS.   
SF: pretty mmuch   
SS: Anyway, I have more important thingSS to do.   
SF: yyes hhave ffun wwith tthat

\-- shadowStalker [SS] ceased trolling seriousFreezerburn [SF] \--

She was always a fun person to talk to, all things considered, even though they always ended in teasing one another mercilessly. This also meant he would spend the rest of the night trying to come up with more important things to do and definitely not talking to her.


	2. The Owl

Vorron Sowora stood watching out of a window of his impressive hive. He did not consider himself to be an excessive troll, but as a blue-blood, he had certain standards to follow. Not that he really minded that. He would be lying if said he didn’t feel at home here. Both in hive and in status.

He was alone at the moment, although if his kismesis had spokentrue, his subordinates would soon be back. Or maybe they would just report their embarrassing lack of progress over Trollian. Yes, the most likely would do that. Vorron briefly wondered which unfortunate soul they would get to deliver the bad news. Well, no, he didn’t wonder. He already knew, since it was always the same one. Unbeknownst to that group, however, this troll was not the sad individual they could simply get to do just about anything. Morons. A decent blue would have discovered this by now.

He certainly would have, blue or not.

This ‘he’ of course, referred to his obsidian interest. This troll managed to defy the hemospectrum with every breath he took and yet he had managed to slip through the many tendril the blue-bloods had spread out to catch him.

Until Vorron had met him. Vorron was far calmer and more rational than most of his associates and did not put too much weight on the hemospectrum, except as a tool to be exploited. That, too, was not entirely true. He had a style to uphold, but he found he did that better than most.

At the start of the relationship Vorron had discovered that the target of his hate was reckless and arrogant. After trying to exploit these weaknesses he had found that the troll was also extremely clever and creative and he had managed to escape him as well. Vorron had been intrigued from that point onward and his kismesis had not failed to deliver. Granted, he was apparently also very skilled in combat, although the blue-blood did not care for that. Their capacity for violence did not set them apart. Their game did. Therefore, they had come to the silent agreement to keep their relationship peaceful for now.

This is not to say Vorron had not killed. He had, like most still surviving trolls had at this age, killed quite a few. The beauty in killing with style was that, eventually, you did not need to do it anymore. Rather, others did it for you.

Vorron sat back down at his husktop ad saw that someone had contacted him on Trollian.

\-- caliginousConstant [CC] began trolling conspiracyShift [CS] \--

CC: Hello Vorron!   
CS: Hello.   
CC: How Are You Doing?   
CS: I suppose I am d0v0ing reasonably well.   
CC: That Doesn’t Sound Good At All!  
CC: What’s Wrong?  
CC: Is This About The lowblood Again?   
CS: Yes, it is.  
CS: He is frustrating.   
CC: Isn’t That Kind Of You Know?  
CC: The Point?   
CS: I suppose it is.   
CC: Tell Me What he Did This Time!   
CS: The fact that he manages t0v0 invade my hive constantly is a n0v0sance I have learned t0v0 live with.  
CS: But I am getting no closer t0v0 finding anything about him.  
CS: In fact, I am taking steps back in finding the location in his hive and I cannot comprehend how this is even possible.  
CS: In short, I feel that the relationship has grinded t0v0 a halt.   
CC: Are You Still Sending Out The Greens?   
CS: Yes.   
CC: Then Maybe You Should Take Things In Your Own Hands!  
CC: That Might Make Things Interesting Again!   
CS: I d0v0 not feel comfortable going out there on my own.  
CS: My hive is where I am in control.  
CS: For certain values of ‘control’.   
CC: You Really Should Get Out More!  
CC: Or You Could Always Break It Off With him?   
CS: No.  
CS: And I w0v0ld very much prefer it if y0v0 stopped making that suggestion.   
CC: Sorry!  
CC: Just Keep It In Mind As A Possibility Okay?   
CS: So then I sh0v0ld, as y0v0 say, get out more?   
CC: Yes!   
CS: Why?   
CC: You Did Not Just Ask That Question Vorron!   
CS: I d0v0 believe I just did.   
CC: Ugh You Are Such A Handful Sometimes!  
CC: How Do You Manage That While Also Being Incredibly Boring?   
CS: I am not boring.   
CC: You’re Not Huh?  
CC: Tell Me What Did You Do Today?   
CS: I did quite a lot actually.   
CC: I’ll Bet!  
CC: No Doubt Sending Other Trolls After Your fated enemy Was The High Point Of Your Day!  
CC: Talk To Someone!   
CS: I cannot.   
CC: Why Not?   
CS: Because I d0v0 not like being ridiculed.   
CC: They Do That Anyway!  
CC: Why Not Be There And Have The Opportunity To Get Back At Them?   
CS: Y0v0 make a convincing argument.   
CC: Of Course I Do!   
CS: I will consider it.   
CC: You Do That!  
CC: <>!   
CS: <>.

\-- caliginousConstant [CC] ceased trolling conspiracyShift [CS] –

Perhaps she had a point. Vorron had been far too reactionary lately, or always, as the case may be. Then again, that is what he had been taught. If the situation was as it should be, there was no reason to do anything. If it wasn’t, then there was a problem to respond to and deal with. It had worked well, only, yes, things got rather dull because of it.

The one that had taught him now entered his hive. His lusus flew in and perched on his usual location in Vorron’s respiteblock. His lusus was an owl, a nightwatcher, and that’s what he did. He did not move, but simply watched the familiar territory for any changes. No doubt he had just gotten back from a successful hunt. The fact that he had been successful proved that Vorron still had a lot to learn.

His lusus hunted mostly small game, for very good reasons. It was far easier to kill and eat small lusi, so the risk was a lot smaller, if you knew where to find them. Such things required a pair of good eyes and a lot of patience, but the reward always made it worth it.

Of course, that did mean the larger creatures posed a threat, but giving them better targets was had proven to be a very effective strategy. Stay high, show no sign of weakness and be able to defend yourself in case they are foolish enough to chase after you anyway and you will be left alone.

Only Vorron had not mastered this, for his foe managed to slip through his defences constantly and it was starting to really tick him off.

His moirail was right. He would have to do something about this, but first he needed to get some information.

\-- conspiracyShift [CS] began trolling carnivoreFrenzy [CF] \--

CS: Are y0v0 there?   
CF: YEs I Am  
CF: YOu HAVe PROBABLy HEARd ALREADy  
CS: I have.  
CS: And I am very disappointed.  
CS: What happened?  
CF: THOSe FUCKINg IDIOTs  
CF: I TRIEd To TELl THEm  
CF: BUt THEy NEVEr LISTEn  
CS: He said y0v0 lost him in the alleyway.  
CF: We DId  
CF: I TOLd THEm THAt He ALWAYs GOEs THERe FIRSt  
CF: BUt DId THEy LISTEn  
CF: Of COURSe Not  
CF: He MIGHt TAKe A DIFFERENt ROUTe THIs TIMe THEy SAId  
CF: He NEVEr TAKEs A DIFFERENt FUCKINg ROUTe  
CS: And y0v0 failed t0v0 convince them of this, how?  
CF: I DONt KNOw  
CF: MAYBe THEy DONt TAKe YOu SERIOUSLy ANYMORe  
CF: DId YOu EVEr THINk Of THAt  
CS: D0v0 y0v0?  
CF: HELl YEAh  
CF: IVe SEEn WHAt YOURe CAPABLe Of  
CF: DONt EVEr DOUBt My LOYALTy To YOu  
CS: G0v0d.  
CS: Perhaps I sh0v0ld pay them a visit.  
CS: My moirail keeps telling me t0v0 get out more anyway.  
CF: YOu Do THAt  
CF: JUSt DONt TELl Me ABOUt It OKAy  
CF: ILl ALREADy GEt ENOUGh Of THOSe STORIEs FROm THe OTHERs  
CS: D0v0 not worry.  
CS: I will not tell y0v0 anything if y0v0 d0v0 not tell them anything either.  
CF: YEAh DONt WORRy ABOUt THAt  
CF: Im NOt TELLINg THEm SHIt  
CS: In return I will leave them operational.  
CF: I DONt EVEn WANt To KNOw

\-- carnivoreFrenzy [CF] ceased trolling conspiracyShift [CS] \--

Vorron did not smile often, but at the moment, he smiled. It was not the kind of smile people liked to see. He got up and left the castle under the watchful eye of his lusus. It was time to hunt some small game.


	3. Visitors

It was night. This was no surprise since that was when all trolls were awake and Robras Dromed wasn’t stupid enough to try and change this. Robras was not in a good mood. Granted, there were few times when he was in a good mood, but right now he had a good reason not to be. He had failed the blue-blood that controlled his life again and, again, despite all traditions, he had let him live. Robras did not want to die, of course, but this sort of behaviour was expected of blue-bloods. It was clear to him by now that this was not a normal blue-blood. No, Vorron let you live. This would not be so bad if it didn’t also mean that Robras would never be able to get rid of him. Once the Owl had you in his claws, there was no escaping. You would forever be a part of his little army and the battles he picked.

Robras was dealing with this the same way he dealt with everything else: exercising. Or, more specifically, punching things. His punching bags were mostly the corpses of animals he had gotten his hands on that weren’t suited to being eaten. Living on the edge of the forest and the city definitely had some benefits.

As he swung another punch there was a knock on his door. That was odd. Nobody ever visited him and the one that might had just told him he wouldn’t. As such, Robras grabbed his trusty sword, Caledfwlch. He had found it, a long time ago in an event he would rather not think about anymore.

He didn’t have to reach for the door.  
“So violent,” a voice said. From inside his hive.  
Robras spun around, pointing his sword at the intruder. He immediately found out why the voice had hissed. Egnaro Zotlav. He was lounging on Robras’ couch, not at all bothered by the fact that he was somewhere he really shouldn’t be. He had done this just to look impressive, Robras was sure. That was just the kind of person the Snake was.  
“I figured I’d let myself in, since you were taking so long.”  
“What do you want?” Robras demanded.  
“You can relax, I’m just here to talk.”  
“What makes you think I want to talk to the likes of you?” The swordsman had a deep voice for a troll his age, which usually made him intimidating. The intruder just chuckled.  
“You see,” he said as he got up. “There is something I’ve been wondering lately and I still don’t have the answer.” Of course this guy would ignore any comment he didn’t like.  
The green-blood kept his sword on him, even as he started casually walking around the hive. The reason he didn’t attack was because the intruder was carrying his weapon as well and Robras had first-hand experience with the troll’s skill with a battle staff.

Egnaro didn’t seem bothered by any of this and continued. “Why do you stay with him?”  
“What are you talking about?”  
“Don’t play stupid with me, Robras, I know you’re not a moron. We wouldn’t be having this conversation if you weren’t.”  
Robras kept his mouth shut. He didn’t exactly have anything he wanted to say to this and he could recognise a provocation when he saw one. The other troll wasn’t bothered by this either.  
“What do we have in common? Or, better said, who do we have in common?”  
Again, Robras didn’t say anything. The intruder nodded, a grin still on his face.  
“Now, what I’ve been wondering is why you stay with him, why you do everything he tells you to do.”  
This time he didn’t even look at the one whose hive he was currently in and continued.  
“It can’t be ambition, since you’re not stupid enough for it, as I already mentioned. One thing I’ve noticed about you is that you have a special kind of intelligence, namely a lack of stupidity. You know when to keep your head down and your mouth shut and what questions you really shouldn’t ask. It’s a quality many greens lack.”  
While all of that was true, Egnaro was also counting on the fact that Robras would be flattered by it. That was a mistake.  
“Get to the point.”  
Egnaro stopped pacing and looked at the green-blood again, with that god awful grin still on his face.  
“Right, so we can rule out ambition,” the Snake said. “Another option is, of course, potential red feelings.”

That was the last straw. This troll was really just annoying him now and it was time to get him of his hive. Robras got ready to yell something, but Egnaro was faster.  
“Yeah, that didn’t sound likely to me either,” he mused. “That leaves us with few options. Do you have the answer?”  
Robras had an answer. He knew it wasn’t the one the other troll was shooting for, but he wasn’t going to play this by his rules, damnit.  
“Loyalty,” he said. Egnaro’s eyes widened with fake interest.  
“Ah! Intersting answer, that. You see, loyalty is only mask for an actual motive. After all, you need a reason to be loyal, right? I guess it’s a moot point anyway, since I already know the answer.”  
“Do you?” He made sure he sounded as annoyed as he felt.  
“Yes!” Egnaro took a step forward, almost impaling himself on Caledfwlch. “Fear.”

\---

Gardea Statum was a greenblood. She was very insistent on this fact, even though a critical examination might just lead someone to a more yellow conclusion. Being a green gave her privileges. She was very attached to these privileges. Being a green also gave her some responsibilities. She did not care much for those. Neither did she really care for the troll that gave her those responsibilities. A long time ago, she wouldn’t even have thought about slacking off, but she had gotten over that now. All of her friends agreed: Vorron was a moron. That joke had spread like a wildfire and she was pretty proud of it. Well, Robras didn’t agree, but Robras was an idiot.

At the moment she was having a conversation with a friend and very much enjoying it. That feeling would not last long.  
“Did you know?” She froze, but the voice behind her continued. “You should be careful with what you say about certain individuals.”  
Gardea turned, slowly, carefully and saw absolutely nothing. Why exactly did she like leaving her hive dark again?  
“They might discover it.”  
She bolted for the doorway, but before she reached it a piece of metal flashed before her eyes and embedded itself in the wall.  
“Vorron!” she exclaimed in panic. “I’m sorry! I-“  
“Quiet.” She snapped her mouth shut and in the following silence she could still hear the knife vibrating.  
“Why do you not do what you are told?” He spoke slowly, softly. Calm.  
“Please! I didn’t mean-“  
“Answer me.” Vorron didn’t yell. Vorron never yelled, but his words carried weight. “Answer honestly. I do not have time for lies.”  
She had to find a way out of here. “I-I don’t know-“  
“I have given you one task,” the blue-blood continued, “to find the location of his hive. I can understand this task taking time, for he is skilled, but I do expect progress.”  
“But, but...” But what? What could she say?  
“I will ask you one last time. Why has there been no progress?”

Gardea had no answer. At least, not one she was willing to give at this point. Vorron stepped out of the darkness, another knife in his hand, reflecting the light from her computer. His face was stoic, as always.  
“Very well,” he said. “You know I will not kill you, for that would be a waste of resources and you are still useful to me. I would keep it that way, if I were you.”  
And that was the thing about Vorron. He didn’t see you as a living being. He saw you as a resource to be discarded once it no longer served a purpose.  
“Yes!” Gardea said desperately. “Yes, I will!”  
“Good.” He walked past her, snatched the knife out of the wall wand left.  
Finally, after waiting for five minutes, she sighed in relief. She had to tell the others.

\---

“How about I spill some of that blood of yours and we’ll see who’s scared here?” Robras yelled. “Find out what colour it is!”  
Egnaro laughed. It was the laugh of a troll this close to going crazy. The laugh of a troll who willingly stood right in front of the sharp end of a sword.  
“No doubt you’ve placed bets on the actual colour. What’s yours?” He still took a step back, though.  
“Mine?” Robras grinned. “Maroon.”  
“Wouldn’t that be amusing?” Egnaro mused.  
“You didn’t deny it,” the green-blood noted.  
“I’m not maroon-blooded,” the intruder said dryly.  
“Of course you say that no-“ Robras’ mouth snapped shut as he realised the mistake he just made.  
Egnaro’s grin widened. “Yes. I could’ve said it right at the start and it wouldn’t have made a difference.” He started pacing through the hive again. “But, since you corrected yourself we’ll let this one slide.”  
Goddamnit. Now he had pretty much put himself in a losing position. He snarled something unintelligible in frustration which only made the other troll laugh again.

“Anyway, this has been an interesting conversation, Robras, let’s do it again someday.”  
“And you want this to stay between us?” His tone of voice indicated that this wasn’t going to happen anyway.  
“Hell no.” That was a surprise. “I haven’t said anything I don’t want him to find out, so by all means, go right ahead.”  
Egnaro made his way to the exit theatrically, not turning his back to the green-blood, even for a second. “Also, if you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did, you should unblock me on Trollian. Just think about it.”  
And then he was gone.

Robras threw Caledfwlch into one of the humps of flesh and screamed louded than he ever had. That insufferable prick! Did he black-flirt with everyone? Had that even been black-flirting? Whatever it was, the smug bastard hadn’t been right. Sometimes loyalty was the motivation.

There were also a couple of things the Snake had missed. He probably hadn’t realised what Caledfwlch was and he definitely hadn’t noticed the fact that there was no lusus nearby. Sometimes loyalty was all you needed.

Robras punched another dead animal. It came loose from the ceiling, crashed into a wall and finally fell on the floor with a dull thud. Sometimes, he was just pissed.


	4. Loyalty

Vorron was in a good mood when he entered his hive. He had chosen the right person to visit first. This was because, now, he did not have to visit anyone else afterwards; Gardea would be telling everyone else right about now and, as she always did, blow the story completely out of proportion. They would do as they were told. For a while, at least. All in all, it had been very efficient. He could even understand why Egnaro enjoyed breaking into hives so much. This did not mean he would be doing it again; he understood the enjoyment, he did not, himself, feel it. Well, perhaps he would do it again, but only if it was absolutely necessary.

His husktop made a sound that indicated a message from a certain individual and that nearly killed Vorron’s good mood.

\-- shadowStalker [SS] began trolling conspiracyShift [CS] \--

SS: Hey Vorron.  
SS: GueSSSS who I juSSt paid a ViSSit?   
CS: Robras Dromed.   
SS: Very good!  
SS: I’m not even going to bother aSSking you how you know that.   
CS: It was fairly obvious.  
CS: What did y0v0 d0v0 t0v0 him?   
SS: We juSSt talked.  
SS: Or, well, I juSSt talked.  
SS: He may have threatened to kill me oncce or twicce.   
CS: He is a g0v0d troll.   
SS: Definitely.   
CS: What did y0v0 talk about?   
SS: Actually,  
SS: I think I’ll let him tell you that.   
CS: Will he?   
SS: Let’SS leave that up to him, SShall we?  
SS: I told him I didn’t mind.  
SS: If that’SS what you’re aSSking.   
CS: Are y0v0 testing his loyalty?   
SS: YeSS!  
SS: SSharp aSS alwaySS.   
CS: An interesting social experiment.  
CS: Coming from y0v0.   
SS: I’m glad you agree.  
SS: Feel like making a prediction?   
CS: No.  
CS: I d0v0 not predict.  
CS: I already know.   
SS: That’SS a SShame.  
SS: Well, SSend him my regardSS.  
SS: He waSS a very gracciouSS hoSSt.   
CS: I will let him know.   
SS: What have you been doing?   
CS: As it happens,  
CS: I have also visited someone.   
SS: Let me gueSSSS.  
SS: Gardea?   
CS: Also a correct guess.  
CS: I am amazed.   
SS: Well, SShe iSS your weakeSSt link.   
CS: Indeed.  
CS: In any case, they sh0v0ld be more competent next time.   
SS: I’m already looking forward to it.  
SS: Are you SSure you do not want to join them?  
SS: We could meet facce to facce again.  
SS: It haSS been SSuch a long time.   
CS: An interesting proposition.  
CS: I shall consider it.  
CS: Assuming, of course, that it is a trap.   
SS: Finally, you’re being intereSSting again!  
SS: I waSS SStarting to grow bored.   
CS: I am glad y0v0 find me a worthy source of amusement.  
CS: Y0v0 d0v0 not know how much that means t0v0 me.   
SS: Ccertainly.  
SS: I hope I can return the favour.   
CS: We shall see.   
SS: Indeed we SShall.

\-- conspiracyShift [CS] ceased trolling shadowStalker [SS] \--

Vorron leaned back in his chair, a faint smile still gracing his grey face. His fingertips touched one another, his eyes closed and his head lost in thought. His lusus flew over from his usual resting place to Vorron’s shoulder, as he often did when he was thinking.

Egnaro had one major failing, namely that he talked too much. He loved the sound of his own voice and, Vorron presumed, the colour of his own text and all that meant. It made certain things easier. All Vorron really had to do was nudge his kismesis every once in a while and he would eventually say something he really should not. On the other hand, he was very, persuasive was not exactly the right word. Provocative fit better. It took a lot of self-control not to fall for it.

Fortunately, Vorron had self-control to spare.

The question was, then, had Robras had enough as well?

He was about to find out.

\-- carnivoreFrenzy [CF] began trolling conspiracyShift [CS] \--

CF: VORROn  
CF: EGNARo ZOTLAv JUSt BROKe INTo My HIVe   
CS: That was refreshingly direct.  
CS: What did he want?   
CF: I DONt EVEn FUCKINg KNOw  
CF: He JUSt CAMe In HERe ANd STARTEd TALKINg ABOUt LOYALTy ANd SHIt   
CS: And y0v0 d0v0 not think that was his actual purpose?   
CF: HELl No  
CF: WERe TALKINg ABOUt EGNARo HERe   
CS: A very g0v0d point.  
CS: What did he say specifically?   
CF: He SAId He KNEw I ONLy FOLLOw YOu OUt Of FEAr   
CS: Did he?   
CF: YEAh  
CF: THAt WAs PRETTy FUCKINg FUNNy   
CS: I take it that he did not notice?   
CF: WELl YEAh  
CF: He WAs DEAd SEt On HIs OWn CLEVEr IDEa   
CS: But he did strike a nerve, correct?   
CF: YEAh  
CF: HEs INFURIATINg   
CS: Insufferable, even?  
CS: I believe I know where y0v0 are coming from.   
CF: HEs GOt THIs AMAZINg SKILl To Be RIGHt EVEn WHEn HEs WRONg  
CF: THAt DOESNt MAKe SENSe  
CF: BUt FUCk It   
CS: That almost sounds like a black sentiment.   
CF: YOURe STARTINg TOo  
CF: He ALREADy PLAYFULLy SUGGESTEd I WAs FLUSHEd FOr You   
CS: And that struck a never as well, did it?   
CF: ANd HEd NEVEr RETURn THe FEELINg   
CS: I agree.  
CS: T0v0 him this was just an opport0v0nity t0v0 make me doubt y0v0.  
CS: An attempt which failed.  
CS: Based on his lack of information.   
CF: SMUg BASTARd   
CS: However he also showed me that he has access t0v0 y0v0.  
CS: And he knows how t0v0 anger y0v0.   
CF: WELl THATs a FUCKINg ACHIEVEMENt   
CS: Tr0v0.  
CS: Y0v0 did well in keeping it under control.  
CS: I have no doubt that the other n0v0ws will s0v0n reach y0v0 as well.   
CF: GREAt   
CS: He also told me t0v0 send y0v0 his regards.   
CF: WAIt  
CF: YOu ALREADy TALKEd To Him   
CS: Indeed I did.   
CF: FUCk  
CF: I CAn EXPLAIn WHy I DIDNt CONTACt YOu QUICKEr   
CS: Y0v0 were relieving stress, yes.  
CS: There is no cause for alarm.   
CF: OKAy   
CS: Thank y0v0 for your information, Robras.  
CS: I will leave y0v0 be.   
CF: YEAh  
CF: THANKs

\-- conspiracyShift [CS] ceased trolling carnivoreFrenzy [CF] \--

The night seemed to be filled with interesting conversations today. Robras was most certainly dependable. Dependable, useful and surprisingly discreet, for someone so constantly in a state of anger. Yes, definitely a good troll. And tied to Vorron by far more than fear.


	5. Gossip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it has been a while since I last updated this, hasn't it?
> 
> Don't worry, I've got two chapters in rapid succesion now.

Life was funny sometimes and Andara Teleum was the kind of troll that did her best to keep it that way. This was not a very difficult thing to do when you were a blueblood. The intrigue and constant backstabbing pretty much kept itself interesting and there were a lot of bluebloods. Andara kept her interests local, though, since otherwise she would need a damn shipping wall to keep track of everything.

And she did not have time for a shipping wall. No, Andara was a busy troll. She had rumours to keep track of, expensive parties to get to and when she wasn’t busy with that she was being artistic or watching FLARP battles. She didn’t play, because she wasn’t suicidal, of course. Also, she has a moirail to keep active.

Honestly, most bluebloods were stuck up and pathetic and she only indulged them because it came with her status. It had been way too easy to take control of the blueblood rumour mill, to the point where she had gotten worried they might have been onto her. Some of the gossip had been disconcerting, most of concerning her moirail. If only those idiots knew. Vorron could easily crush them all, she knew, if only he actually got motivated to do so. She supposed that was where she came in.

She had been making progress, too, right up until that damned kismesis had suddenly shown up and Vorron had gotten completely obsessed with him. All of her hard work, wasted! It made her angry just thinking about it.

\-- conspiracyShift [CS] began trolling caliginousConstant [CC]\--

CS: Y0v0 will be pleased t0v0 hear that I have gone outside t0v0day.   
CC: Oh?  
CC: Give Me All The Details!  
CC: Did You Visit Someone?   
CS: Yes, as it happens.   
CC: Who?   
CS: Gardea Statum.   
CC: Okay!  
CC: That Is Not Exactly What I Hoped For, But I Guess It’s A Good Start!   
CS: What did y0v0 hope for, exactly?   
CC: I Hoped You Would Find New Contacts Or At Least Meet Up With Worthwhile Old Ones!   
CS: I w0v0ld not say that my visit was not worthwhile.   
CC: How Can A Visit To One Of Your Greens Be Worthwhile?   
CS: T0v0 make sure she stayed one of my greens, of course.   
CC: What Did You Do To Her?   
CS: Nothing.  
CS: I did not even touch her.  
CS: I did, however, make it clear that I c0v0ld have.   
CC: That Sounds Like Good News!   
CS: It is g0v0d news.   
CC: Is There Bad News As Well?   
CS: Yes, there is.   
CC: Figures!   
CS: Egnaro visited Robras.   
CC: What Is he Doing With One Of Your Greens?  
CC: Manipulation?   
CS: Getting t0v0 know him, apparently.   
CC: Really?  
CC: You Can’t Believe That!   
CS: He has failed every other goal he may have had.   
CC: Whose Word Do You Have For That?   
CS: Robras’.  
CS: And before y0v0 say anything, no, he did not betray me.   
CC: How Do You Know That?   
CS: There are various reasons.  
CS: I have promised t0v0 keep most of those secret.  
CS: He is loyal t0v0 me and that is all that matters.   
CC: Are You Keeping Secrets From Your Moirail?   
CS: I am keeping secrets from everyone.  
CS: You are no exception.  
CS: Although y0v0 get t0v0 know that I am keep secrets.   
CC: I Am Flattered!   
CS: I am glad t0v0 hear it.  
CS: What have y0v0 been d0v0ing?   
CC: I Have Been Doing A Lot Of Talking!   
CS: Y0v0 are always d0v0ing a lot of talking.  
CS: Was there anything interesting?   
CC: Well I Guess I Could Share The Latest Gossip With You!   
CS: I will pass.   
CC: How Unfortunate!   
CS: How can y0v0 stand it?   
CC: It’s Interesting!  
CC: But Perhaps It’s Not For Everyone?  
CC: Although As A Blueblood It Is Almost A Requirement!  
CC: You Are Lucky That I Work On Your Behalf As Well!   
CS: Yes, I suppose I am.   
CC: Speaking Of Which, I Have Work To Get To!   
CS: D0v0 not let me keep y0v0.

\-- caliginousConstant [CC] ceased trolling conspiracyShift [CS] \--

That last part may not have been the complete truth. She did have work to do, and she would get to it, eventually, but first she was going to unwind a bit.

As much as she enjoyed running the rumour mill, it was a lot of work and every once in a while she needed to take a break. Andara’s breaks usually involved talking to a good friend. A friend she kept hidden in her contacts. It wouldn’t completely ruin her reputation if someone discovered, but it would still be damaging. There was also something to be said about the thrill of keeping secrets.

\-- caliginousConstant [CC] started trolling seriousFreezerburn [SF] \--

CC: Hello!   
SF: hhey  
SF: wwhat’s uup?   
CC: Oh The Usual!  
CC: Talking To People!  
CC: Getting My Moirail Active Again!   
SF: aany lluck   
CC: Yes, Actually!  
CC: Today I Made A Significant Breakthrough!   
SF: tthere aare iinsignificant bbreakthroughs  
SF: tthat’s nnews tto mme   
CC: Oh Be Quiet You!  
CC: But Yes!  
CC: He Actually Went Outside Today!   
SF: iimpressive   
CC: It Is For Him!  
CC: What Have You Been Doing?   
SF: ii’ve bbeen wworking oon aa nnew pproject   
CC: That Sounds Interesting!   
SF: tthat’s bbecause iit iis   
CC: What Is It?   
SF: tthat wwould bbe ttelling  
SF: ii’ll sshow yyou oonce iit’s ddone  
SF: iit’s aa ssurprise   
CC: I Can’t Wait!   
SF: iit’s aalways nnice tto hhave aan aapreciative aaudience  
SF: hhonestly tthough, ii tthink yyou’ll llike iit   
CC: Is It For Me?   
SF: nno, iit’s ffor aanother ffriend oof mmine  
SF: wwell, iit’s sstill jjust aa ffriend   
CC: That Sounds Like You Have A Plan!   
SF: yyes iit ddoes  
SF: tthat’s bbecause ii hhave  
SF: aand yyou gget tto ssee iit bbefore mmy ffriend ddoes   
CC: Thank You For Allowing Me That Privilege!   
SF: tthe ppleasure iis aall mmine  
SF: iif yyou ddon’t mmind ii’d llike tto gget bback tto tthat   
CC: Of Course!   
SF: tthank yyou

\-- seriousFreezerburn [SF] started trolling caliginousConstant [CC] \--

Her friendship with a yellow-blood wasn’t exactly forbidden, as such, but most of the other bluebloods found it distasteful. To them, anyone lower than green wasn’t worth dealing with and, in general, Andara would agree. There were, however, certain exceptions and this was one of them.

Therefore, she kept their friendship hidden, partially because she had to and partially because she could. Keeping secrets was exciting. Almost as exciting as uncovering them. And she had a lot of secrets to uncover.


	6. The Ice Queen

The hive of Eliori Lymars was not very big, not in an environment most trolls would like to live in and in general not very extraordinarily build. It was, however, very bright, very cold and very much exactly what she wanted it to be. There were small ice sculptures spread out all over the place, all of them created by Eliori herself. A lot of work had gone into them and she had always been proud of the result. She had never put quite as much effort into a project as the one currently hidden under a large blanket.

Her hive was far removed of civilisation, being a bit more north than most trolls found comfortable. She was very fond of the cold, though, mostly because she was not in any danger of ever freezing to death. This was mostly because of the natural advantage she had as a yellow-blood. Namely the special ability of cryokinesis. When people asked her what the hell that meant she told them she could create and destroy ice, because that was what that word meant.

Since ice was rather reflective, her hive was very well-lit during the night and almost unbearable during the day, even if the sun was nowhere in sight. She might like the light, but she was not stupid enough to get killed over it. Since her recuperacoon could not handle the heat all by itself, her respiteblock could be completely sealed off from any sort of light.

In her respiteblock stood something very odd. It was, of course, made out of ice, which was not odd for Eliori, but it was odd for what it was: a suit of armour. It was nicely decorated with her sign displayed proudly on the chest. She was going to do that for a living, when she grew up. Not out of ice, obviously, that would be stupid, but she was going to make armour and she was going to be good at it.

But that was the future, and this was now. And now a good friend wanted to talk to her.

\-- shadowStalker [SS] began trolling seriousFreezerburn [SF] \--

SS: Hello SSF.   
SF: hhey tthere  
SF: aare yyou ddone wwith yyour iimportant tthing yyet   
SS: AbSSolutely.  
SS: I alSSo totally had SSomething important to do.   
SF: oof ccourse yyou ddid  
SF: wwhat wwas iit   
SS: I viSSited a not quite friend of mine.   
SF: tthat mmight jjust bbe vvague eenough tto ppique mmy iinterest   
SS: How can I reSSiSSt explaining more when you uSSe wordSS like pique.   
SF: ii kknow  
SF: tthat’s wwhy ii ssaid iit   
SS: You know me way too well.  
SS: I might juSSt have let you come too cloSSe.   
SF: sshould ii pprepare ffor aan aassasination aattempt   
SS: Oh pleaSSe, I don’t attempt aSSSSaSSSSinationSS, I make aSSSSaSSSSinationSS.   
SF: ii sshould pprepare aa wwill, tthen  
SF: aand yyou wwon’t bbe iin iit   
SS: Well, that plan iSS canccelled.   
SF: tthank tthe ttwo mmoons  
SF: sso wwho ddid yyou vvissit   
SS: A guy called RobraSS Dromed.  
SS: A greenblood, which iSS why I bothered talking to him in the firSSt placce.   
SF: nnot jjust aa ggreenblood tthough, rright   
SS: Nope.  
SS: The moSSt important greenblood.  
SS: I don’t think he waSS very happy to SSee me, though.   
SF: tthat iis sso, sso ssad   
SS: I know!  
SS: He didn’t try to kill me, though.  
SS: At leaSSt not more than they uSSually do.  
SS: Come to think of it, he probably thinkSS I’m crazzy right now.   
SF: hhe ddoes hhave bbrains, tthen   
SS: Yeah.  
SS: That waSSn’t really a SSurpriSSe, though.  
SS: Vorron knowSS potential when he SSeeSS it.   
SF: wwhy ddoes hhe kkeep yyou aaround tthen   
SS: You SShould aSSk him that.   
SF: wwhat wwas tthe ssurprise   
SS: HiSS SSelf-control.  
SS: It’SS really eaSSy to piSSSS him off, but he doeSSn’t act on it.   
SF: ssounds iinteresting   
SS: It iSS.  
SS: He iSS an intereSSting individual.   
SF: tthat wwas iit   
SS: Do I not amuSSe you?   
SF: oof ccourse yyou ddo  
SF: bbut aaren’t yyou fforgetting ssomething   
SS: What have you been up to?   
SF: aabsolutely nnothing   
SS: Goddamnit.   
SF: ii wwas jjust jjoking  
SF: tthat wwas ttotally wworth iit, tthough   
SS: I hate you.   
SF: nno , yyou ddon’t   
SS: Damnit.   
SF: ii’ve bbeen mmaking nnew ssculptures  
SF: aand ii’ve ffound aa nnew ssort oof iice   
SS: Oncce again, there iSS only one SSort of icce.  
SS: It’SS called icce.   
SF: ii ttold yyou tthat’s nnot ttrue.  
SF: iice iis nnot jjust ffrozen wwater  
SF: tthere’s mmore tto iit tthan tthat  
SF: aand wwhat ii jjust ffound iis rreally ttough  
SF: ii’m ggoing tto mmake nnew aarmour oout oof iit   
SS: Tell me how that workSS out, okay?  
SS: Fucking icce armour.  
SS: I’m SStill not SSure if that’SS ridiculouSS or aweSSome.   
SF: bboth  
SF: iit iis rridiculously aawesome and aawesomely rridiculous   
SS: I SShall take your word for it.   
SF: yyou sshould vvissit oone oof tthese nnights  
SF: sso yyou ccan ssee iit ffor yyourself   
SS: And freezze to death?  
SS: No thankSS.   
SF: ii tthought yyou ccould hhandle aanything  
SF: ddon’t ttell mme yyou’re aafraid tto mmeet mme, llittle ssnake   
SS: How could I not fear the Icce Queen?   
SF: iice qqueen  
SF: sseriously   
SS: That’SS what you get for calling me a little SSnake.   
SF: bbut yyou aare aa llittle ssnake   
SS: And you are the Icce Queen.  
SS: Tell you what, if you can give me any tipSS on how to SSurvive that trip, I’ll do it.   
SF: llooking fforward tto iit  
SF: ii sshould gget tto wwork, tthen   
SS: Good luck.  
SS: And let me know next time you’re coming to the ccity, okay?   
SF: oof ccourse  
SF: ddo yyou hhave ssomething tto sshow mme   
SS: I alwaySS have SSomething to SShow you.   
SF: nnow iit ssuddenly ssounds aa llot lless iinteresting   
SS: You’ll SSee.   
SF: ii’ll bbe llooking fforward tto tthat ttoo   
SS: Glad to hear it.   
SF: aanyway, ii sshould bbe ggoing   
SS: SSee you.

\-- seriousFreezerburn [SF] ceased trolling shadowStalker [SS]\--

Eliori would have to give him a few nights to find something to show her, which, ironically, would keep his mind off of bluebloods. He had to at least survive long enough to visit her and she would very much appreciate it if he lasted longer than that. Egnaro really needed someone to keep an eye on him. The fact that he got lucky all the time probably stopped him from realising that, though.

Although, the fact that he was still alive despite that was definitely intriguing in its own way. That was probably one of the reasons as to why she was carefully crafting a present for him. She could have denied her feelings and blamed him for them, instead, but that would be entirely counter-productive. If you were shooting for red, at least.

It was so much easier to make someone hate you than pity you.

Eliori only ever went south when she was out of food, but tended to stay somewhere for at least one night, since otherwise she would have to travel by daylight and that was not happening.

She wasn’t exactly sure what her lusus ate, but it was either ice or something else she could provide for herself. Honestly, her lusus was pretty amazing. She was large, white, fluffy and most trolls thought she was a myth: a Snowwalker.

Before she went outside to check on her lusus, she put on her ice armour, because she would be getting a challenge whether her lusus was there or not. She was lucky, though, she her large guardian was present, which would at least keep the predators away. On the other hand, that did mean it was time for a training session.

Another thing she enjoyed about her cryokinesis was that she could pretty much make a weapon on the fly and, as such, never found herself unequipped. As per usual, she created a large hammer and prepared for battle.


End file.
